The Ray Family Vampires of Connecticut

Vampyren by Edvard Munch

American vampire folklore has its roots in New England thanks to superstitions dating back to the Puritans. If you're expecting European romanticism or terror, you won't find it here, though. Vampiric tales in this neck of the woods are steeped with illness, desecration and tragedy. The most famous of these takes place in Jewett City, Connecticut–a borough of Griswold, once home to the luckless Ray family.

In 1845, 24-year-old Lemuel Ray became mortally ill and died of tuberculosis, a disease then known as consumption. Symptoms of tuberculosis include fever, weight loss, chills, chest pain and chronic cough. Disease that spreads beyond the lungs can cause urinary tract infections, malaise and/or severe spine damage. None of these symptoms would lead family members to believe Lemuel was a vampire. It was the idea that dead family members could rise to prey on living family members that made poor dead Lemuel Ray a threat.

In 1851, Lemuel Ray's father–Henry Ray–succumbed to tuberculosis. Two years later, in 1853, another son died–26-year-old Elisha Ray. Here is where history gets a little confused. A newspaper reported that in 1854, the Ray family dug up the corpses of two of the victims and burned them "on the spot" to stop them from hunting the living family members. Also in 1854, Henry Ray, the eldest son of the Ray family, died of tuberculosis. Which came first is unclear. Either way, the deaths stopped in 1854, before or soon after the family burned two decomposing bodies.

In 1990, the story of the Ray Family Vampires got renewed interest when a couple of boys unearthed two skulls while playing in gravel. Consequently, 29 unmarked graves belonging to the Walton family of nearby Hopeville, CT were discovered. Among them was at least one very interesting find. Archaeologists discovered a corpse from roughly the 1790s that was ravaged by tuberculosis. Its skull was removed and placed backwards on the chest. The femurs were also removed and placed in a skull and crossbones position. This is the only physical evidence we have of the practice of desecrating corpses to ward off vampires in the midst of a consumption outbreak.

Today, you can visit the graves of the Ray family. They are at the end of Anthony Street in the Jewett City Cemetery. You'll have to look behind a housing development and next to a construction company to find it. Once you're there, it's not hard to find the graves, mostly in the center portion of the cemetery. Just remember that visitors are not welcome after dark. Moreover, there aren't any credible or popular ghost stories associated with the site, so there's no reason to disturb anyone's sleep to visit after dark.